Ryan Smith MP speaks on the Bushfires Royal Commission and Warrandyte’s preparedness

Royal Commission Interim Report

Mr R. SMITH (Warrandyte) — I rise in response to the bushfire royal commission’s interim report on the bushfires of February this year.

Most, if not all, of those who live in the Warrandyte area now know how close the bushfires of Black Saturday came to them. It would have only taken a small shift in wind direction for people in Warrandyte to have experienced the same level of tragedy that unfortunately many other townships experienced.

As a consequence of this knowledge, a number of town meetings have been held on fire prevention and home protection, and literally hundreds of people have attended these meetings. It is clear that the threat of fire is on the minds of everyone who lives in Warrandyte, and people need to know that lessons have been learnt and the government is doing everything in its power to mitigate the fire risk.

The commission received many submissions on land management and the issue of controlled burns to clear the built-up undergrowth which greatly contributes to the ferocity of fire….[more] Legislative Assembly Hansard 1 Sept 09